New Moon Bride
by ShadowedKoi
Summary: One of Kaoru’s favorite childhood fairy tales is more realistic than she had ever imagined. KxK
1. The Fairy Tale

**New Moon Bride  
_The Fairy Tale_**

**_

* * *

_**

When I was a child, my mother would read me to sleep. Images of princes and their maidens, magicians, and ogres would fill my head while I dreamed. My mother always joked with the other adults that she never had a problem getting me to go to bed because it was my favorite time of day. You see, at night, only in my dream world could the stories continue beyond 'The End'.

There was one story in particular that I could no go a single night without hearing. This was the story of the young fox who couldn't find a bride.

The story begins with the arranged marriage of a rather young princess. Her father, king of a vast nation, chose an older and ill-rumored nobleman to be her husband. The King saw her marriage as an opportunity to secure political ties with a bordering country, where the nobleman hailed from. The princess' father was unaware that his daughter was already in love with a man who worked in the palace.

Distraught at the idea of being sentenced to a marriage without love, the princess felt compelled to speak to the King and appeal to him as a daughter would her father.

"I am too young," she insisted.

"There are younger women than you who are married," he challenged.

"What if I were to love another?" she proposed.

"It would be best if you forgot such notions. The marriage will not be stopped," he stated with a disapproving frown.

Angry and more than upset by her father's callous response, she stood up and shouted, "I cannot imagine what I have done to deserve such little regard from my own father." With that, she turned and fled down the halls of the palace, ignoring the curious glances of passing servants.

When she reached her room, she collapsed to the floor in tears.

"It is too difficult for me to believe that he wishes a marriage from me so soon!" she cried, head pillowed by the thick layers of her dress sleeves.

"Are weddings not happy occasions?" a voice asked from the corner of her vast room.

Never had the princess expected a response to her cry, let alone one from within her room. Startled and a little embarrassed at having been caught in such a state of disarray by a servant, the princess turned toward the person who had spoke. Her room was empty save for herself.

"I am certain I heard someone just now," she whispered to herself, continuing to look around the room for any hidden individuals.

"I am over here, Princess," the voice called out again from the same direction.

The princess once again gazed at the area the voice had emanated from, but was only met with her reflection in the tall mirror pushed to a corner of her room. "I do not see you," she confessed, forgetting the proper manner of conduct when addressing a lower status citizen.

"You are looking at me," said the voice, clearly sounding from within the mirror.

The young princess watched in awe and a touch of fear as a golden fox materialized inside the mirror, his dark eyes watching her with human intelligence. When he took a step out of the mirror and into her room, she did not run away like most other ladies of the castle would have. Instead, she remained seated where she was, for she knew instantly that was one of the fabled fox spirits that made rare appearances on nights of the new moon.

The fox sat down on his haunches slowly, grace flowing with every movement, his tail looping around his front feet. "Is this marriage unwanted?" he asked.

Suddenly remembering the multitudes of warnings about speaking with foxes, the most clever and devious of all other spirits, the princess turned her head in a refusal to speak.

The story goes that the fox was charmed by the nature of the young woman and moved by her unfortunate situation. Out of sincere motives, the spirit offered his help in resolving the arranged marriage. However, his offer was made with one condition.

"Balance must be maintained, young one. If a discontented union is dissolved, a blissful one must be formed," the fox stated cryptically, eyes seeming to darken.

The princess nodded her head in understanding.

"I ask but a small favor in return for the great deed I am willing to perform for you," he informed her while standing up on all four legs.

"Anything you want, I promise I will provide! Do you wish for money? Or perhaps a shrine erected in your honor?" she proposed, excited at the prospect of her problems disappearing. "Please tell me what it is you want and I shall give it to you!"

"A bride."

The princess had not been expecting such a request from the fox and shyly asked why he would wish for the hand of a mortal.

"A pure and strong blood runs through your veins, Princess," he answered with a sly smile.

Scared that she may have put herself in a situation far worse than an arranged marriage, the princess rose to her feet and demanded on what grounds the fox was asking for a bride.

He sat down once more, eyes lowering to the ground for a moment. "Do not misinterpret my words. It is not you I speak of, nor am I in need of a bride. This bride will be born far into the future and will be one of your descendants," he clarified. "This bride will be for my son, who was born with a great gift and equally great burden."

"Are there not other suitable companions for him in your world?" she asked, perplexed.

"His birth has marked him as an outcast for the remainder of his life. There will be no one willing to make him he comes of an age suitable for matrimony," the fox said, moving to lie down on the floor, a deep sigh coming from him. "I only wish to secure his happiness," he admitted.

The princess walked forward a few steps and curtsied deeply beneath the strong gaze of the old fox. "It would be my family's honor to have a maiden that is suitable to be your praiseworthy son's bride," she spoke softly, her words sealing the unseen contract.

As the story goes on to mention, the fox stated that every new moon after a female descendant was born, a messenger from the spirit world would be sent to make sure that the princess' family was reminded of and honored the ancient promise.

If I remember correctly, the princess ended up marrying a knight of her country, and, so to speak, had a fairy tale ending. However, before she died, she made sure that her husband and sons would continue to retell the story to future generations so that the lonely fox cub, shunned by his own kind, could find his happily ever after.

Who knew that my favorite fairy tale was about to come true?

* * *

**Author's Note (7/25/10): Slight revisions. Nothing major. Hope all first time readers enjoyed this story! Reviews are always welcomed.**

**Luv,**

**K**


	2. Once Upon a Time

**New Moon Bride  
_Once Upon a Time_**

**_

* * *

_**

The Kamiyas had been well established in the area long before Kaoru had been born. After years of struggle, sweat and blood, a respectable temple and dojo were built their name in the Western part of Kyoto. The family line was an ancient one that consisted of several very affluent and influential people. At one point in time, the Kamiya name was considered to be blessed by good fortune. No one ever suspected that one small, dark haired, blue eyed girl of the family would be the source of such misfortune.

Things remained steadfast in the Kamiya household until one fateful morning when Kaoru turned ten. That year, there was an accident on an overpass bridge which resulted in one pedestrian fatality. Visitors of the temple and students of the dojo noticed the sad look in the older Kamiya's eyes as he went about his duties that day, uninterrupted by his overly cheerful wife. Kaoru never asked how it happened, but knew, while her mother was being rushed to the hospital, that she would not see her again.

After a long day at school filled with the relentless questions of children, Kaoru returned home with tears in her eyes. She ran to her father and asked why her mother had to be the one to pass away, hurt and angry tears streaming down her face. With a watery smile, he answered that she had been called away early to go to heaven. He was unable to say anything else while staring into the vulnerable face of his daughter.

As Kaoru grew up, she outgrew the stories her dear mother once read to her, as well as the childish explanation offered by her father. His once tearful smiles filled with a profound sorrow began to turn into scowls accompanied by biting and callous words. He began to divulge with hateful sneers that the accident had been caused by an animal crossing the overpass her mother had been walking on. A driver swerved to avoid hitting it and instead end up hitting Kaoru's mother.

Kaoru quickly learned that it was not a topic open for discussion and came to the bitter conclusion that not all endings were happy ones.

(-)

Kaoru paced around her room, glancing nervously at the clock that hung on her otherwise bare walls. The cordless phone she gripped in her hand rang once before she answered it. "Misao. It's me, Kaoru," she said into the receiver, nails clicking against the plastic as she drummed her fingers over the phone.

"Oh! Hey, Kao!" A high, crystalline female voice sounded from the other end of the line. "Funny thing you should call… I was just out shopping and I saw this gorgeous man walking-"

"I have to make this quick because of the time," Kaoru interjected, forgoing the manners instilled into her by her strict father. "Can I spend the night at your place?" she asked, tone hopeful.

There was a small hum of understanding before Misao spoke again. "So it's a new moon again?" she was inquiring more to herself than to Kaoru, who smiled timidly over the phone. "You know you're always welcome over here." Misao nodded her head, despite knowing that Kaoru would be unable to see the movement. "I mean…" she pondered, plopping down on the turquoise comforter on her bed. "You've been coming over since… How long?" she asked.

"Since I was ten," Kaoru answered hurriedly, looking at the clock once more. "I have to go. I have some chores to finish before I head over to your place," she mumbled, picking up a light duffel bag from the floor and swinging it over her shoulder.

"Man! Your dad sure is superstitious!" Misao chatted away, taking sudden interest in her freshly painted toenails.

Kaoru had to agree. "I think too many years of bowing down to statues have finally affected his brain," she joked, switching off the lights in her room. She made her way down the hall, phone tucked expertly between her cheek and shoulder.

Misao gave an exasperated groan, rolling over onto her stomach to glare at the calendar hanging over her computer desk. A while back she bought it and marked every day a new moon would occur with a big, bright pink pen. It was her favorite color, after all…

"I suspect the same thing, but to take away all the mirrors in your house?" Misao whined. "That's just plain cruel! How can a young woman live without knowing how she looks before walking out the door?" She finished with a sympathetic noise.

Rolling her eyes, Kaoru used the hand that was not occupied with the duffel bag to slide open the shoji door leading out to the courtyard of the temple. "I manage just fine, thank you very much. I think the only one who would suffer would be you, Misao," Kaoru retorted. "He has good intentions."

"I guess you could blame your lack of fashion sense on it… There's a plus!" Kaoru heard whispered over the other end.

"I have no mirrors! Get over it already!" Kaoru growled, at the same time walking to the storage room where she could find the broom she needed. Her father had suggestively mentioned that the steps leading up to the temple's entrance were a bit dirty.

"Do those statues explain why you always come to my house when there's a new moon?" Misao argued.

"I don't have to come over to your house," Kaoru commented with a lifted brow.

"Now, don't get all cranky with me." Misao's lecturing voice was light and playful. She got up from her bed and picked up a permanent marker from her desk. Deftly, she made a neat heart over that day's date. When Kaoru had asked her about the peculiar manner in which she marked her calendar, Misao returned that crossing something out was not as nearly fun as drawing flowers of hearts around something. "I was just pointing out the peculiarities of your old man."

Kaoru put her bag on the ground as she pushed open another pair of shoji doors. Dust flew out at her, tickling her nose. Quickly, she switched the phone to her other shoulder to prevent a kink in her neck. Sneezing, Kaoru reached into the dark room and pulled out the broom used for outdoor cleaning, quite familiar with the way things were organized in there and not needing a light to get what she needed. The worn handle fit comfortably in her palm, weathered with time and use. Walking across the vast courtyard and over to the steps, Kaoru began her arduous task. "I'm hanging up now, Misao. I have a job to do and not a lot of time to do it in." Kaoru huffed, sweeping the ground in long, practiced strokes.

"Alright, but you have to hear about that guy I was talking about! He was-"

"Handsome. Right. Got it." Kaoru rolled her eyes. "See you later," she prompted.

Misao's laughter came through the speaker of the phone clearly. "Bye, Kao."

Kaoru hung up the phone, bending down to set it gently on the top step of the stairs before continuing to sweep. Slow and methodical, Kaoru worked her way down, taking her time on each step. By the time she had reached the bottom, a brilliant pink and majestic purple sunset painted the sky overhead. Cursing, Kaoru clenched the broom tightly and dashed up the steps, taking two at a time.

'_Shoot. I need to leave. Now.' _she thought to herself, leaping over the last few giant steps.

From the main worship entrance her father stepped out into the fleeting rays of the sun, spotting his daughter darting toward the storage shed. "You haven't left yet?" he asked, eyes flickering in the direction of the setting sun.

Kaoru flung the broom into the shed with more energy than necessary, turning to scoop up her bag into her arms. "I'm practically gone," she shouted over her shoulder as she ran back to the stairs, ready to leave. Spotting the phone she left on the steps earlier, Kaoru twisted to ask her father if he would take it into the house for her. Not paying attention to where she was stepping, she tripped and fell forward. Years of training in the neighboring dojo run by her father kept her from having a broken nose, though it didn't save the skin on her knees and palms.

"Are you alright?" Having seen the fall, her father moved forward, offering help. He stopped when he saw Kaoru stand up, pick up that ridiculous duffel bag and continue on down the steps.

"Fine!" Kaoru yelled loud enough for him to hear, slowing her speed a bit to examine her injuries. A trickle of blood ran down her calf from a rather large scrape on her right knee, acquired from her fall on the steps. "That hurt…" she murmured, making a mental note to ask Misao for bandages when she got to the girl's house.

(-)

The door swung open to reveal an impatient Misao tapping her foot against the linoleum tile in her entryway. "Took you long enough," she grumbled, stepping aside to let her friend in. As Kaoru moved past, Misao noticed a line of blood drying on the back of Kaoru's leg. "Kao! What happened?" she asked, kneeling to get a closer look at the wound.

Kaoru grinned sheepishly, offering one of her torn up palms for Misao to inspect. "I fell," she admitted.

"Down a flight of stairs?" Misao exaggerated.

"Almost." Kaoru laughed at the expression on Misao's face as she shook her head and went, no doubt, to go get some band aids and peroxide. "I'll be in your room!" she shouted, walking slowly up the staircase in front of her, bag bumping into the back of her legs with each step. The small grumble about clumsy idiots from Misao's direction let Kaoru know she had been heard.

Beside her own, Misao's room was one of the more familiar sights in Kaoru's life. Bright, happy, and yet soothing tea green walls greeted her as she entered the room. A splash of color called out from the opposing wall, happening to be the bed that Kaoru had spent many nights sleeping in. Kaoru took in a deep breath and felt herself relaxing instantly. It was as good as home. Perhaps even better, since there was no restriction on mirrors in this house.

Dropping her bag on the floor, Kaoru all but skipped over toward the mounted mirror on a nearby wall. When she came face to face with her reflection, Kaoru was not prepared for the view.

Since the last time she had been there, her face seemed to have not tanned even after countless hours under the sun, but had rather become an even more milky ivory color. Deep blue eyes that spoke levels of maturity and wisdom stared out at her beneath ink black bangs that hugged the contours of her heart shaped face. She was… rather beautiful.

Feeling vain, Kaoru swatted at the mirror, causing it to tilt on the nail that kept it anchored to the wall. She reached out her sore hands to resettle the frame, sighing as the cool metal touched her sore palms. The pain subsided slightly from the cold touch of the metal.

'_Forget peroxide. Give me a metal mirror frame any day..._' Kaoru joked to herself.

"Whatcha doing?" Misao's voice called out from behind her.

Startled, Kaoru looked up into the mirror, gasping when she stared into the face of an unfamiliar man and not her own reflection. She took an immediate step backward, her foot catching on the chair situated at Misao's desk. Before Kaoru could even blink, she was on the ground, staring up at the ceiling.

In the next instant, Misao was knelt beside her, eyes wide with concern. "Are you intentionally trying to give me a heart attack?" Misao shouted, wanting to shake some much needed balance into the girl. "Do you know how close you were to hitting the edge of my desk?" she asked, eyes still panicky from having seen her friend almost crack open the back of her skull.

Kaoru twisted to look behind her, noting the mere inches she had come from a late night trip to the emergency room. Not that Misao would appreciate a nice blood stain on her carpet either…

Near tears from a set of badly frayed nerves, Misao stood up and offered Kaoru a hand. "I'm in bad need of sugar right now."

With a sheepish grin, Kaoru took the small hand and pulled herself up. "Sorry?"

"Get your butt downstairs and help me get something sweet to eat this instant."

Kaoru followed Misao out of the room, brushing off what she had seen as a weird refraction of the light against the mirror.

(-)

Three bags of popcorn, one and a half gallons of ice cream, two sappy romance movies that Misao had already memorized by heart, and a shared chocolate bar later, the two were completely full and ready to sleep. Well… Kaoru was.

"So! I was just thinking of how amazing it would be to give each other a makeover!" Misao blurted out, speaking so fast that most of her words were jumbled into a confusing mass.

Kaoru groaned, grabbing a pillow off the bed they were laying on and rolled over, placing the pillow over her head. "How old are we?" she asked sarcastically, the pillow muffling her question.

"Never too old to have fun."

"Answer the question, weasel."

Misao pouted. "Nineteen…" She glanced down at her bright colored comforter. "I hate that nickname," she grumbled. The resemblance to a little kid being scolded by their parents would have had Kaoru laughing hysterically if she hadn't currently been hiding from the insanity. Though the tone of absolute dejection had her in near hysterics. Or maybe it was the ton of sugar she put into her system…

"It suits you perfectly, though." Kaoru laughed under the pillow, finally pushing it off of her head, in need of some air. "Wouldn't that constitute being too old to do makeovers?" Kaoru suggested with a small grin, reverting back to the original conversation.

"We're not even in college yet, though," Misao pointed out, grabbing another piece of chocolate and popping it into her mouth.

Rolling her eyes, Kaoru slapped away one of Misao's hands that was reaching for another piece of the demolished chocolate bar. "You wanted the ice cream," she reminded whenever Misao sent her a dirty glare. "As for the whole college thing..." She sighed, fiddling with a strand of her loose hair. "I'm not sure if I can go," Kaoru admitted.

"You've got the grades."

"But not the resources," Kaoru countered, handing over the rest of the chocolate bar. Her hunger for sweets had long since been fulfilled.

"We can think of something." Misao shrugged easily, snapping off another piece of the bar and placing it in her mouth.

Kaoru paused. "We?" she asked for clarification.

Misao paused in her feasting for a moment and stared back at the raven headed girl. "Kaoru Kamiya!" Her face turned down right indignant. "You think that I'm going to let you go off into the world by _yourself_," she spat the word like it had a disgusting taste to it, "when we've been together since birth?"

"Third grade," Kaoru corrected.

"Close enough."

Count on Misao to pull the drama card at every opportunity presented. "I was taken back. That's all." Kaoru smiled and leaned over to give Misao a friendly tap on the arm. "I thought you would have been sick of me by now," she half joked, eyes drifting down to an empty ice cream carton at the end of the bed by her feet.

"One of these days, Kaoru," the smaller of the two huffed, resembling a puffed up mother hen, "someone other than me will change that negative Nancy attitude of yours." Her promise was accompanied by a confident nod.

Kaoru tossed a pillow at Misao. "Negative Nancy?" she asked with a huge grin on her face at seeing the pillow hit its mark.

"What else can I call you? Positive Patty?" Misao returned, readying herself to throw a small decorative cushion. "You're not exactly the sunshiny type."

"Just pass the popcorn, weasel."

"I'm not a weasel."

(-)

In the dim light provided by the muted television, Kaoru reached over the sleeping form of Misao to get to her bag. She groped around in it for awhile until she felt the familiar surface of a well worn book. She pulled out the paperback, its dog eared corners flopping open on various colored pictures.

It was a children's book and one of Kaoru's most prized possessions. She did not have an explanation for why she grabbed it at the last minute when she packed.

Situating herself back in the covers formed to make a makeshift bed on the floor, Kaoru flipped open the book to the back. An intricate drawing of a fox glowed underneath the TV's light, and Kaoru found herself tracing its outline silently, trying to remember exactly how her mother once read it to her.

"I miss you…" she whispered, closing the book and putting her head next to it on the pillow.

'_Sleep._' A distant voice of a memory called out to her, a song like tenor to it. Her mother had always made sure she was asleep before leaving the room.

Kaoru smiled and closed her eyes, grateful to get some rest.

* * *

**Author's Note (7/25/10): Minute changes occurred mostly at the very beginning of the chapter. Enjoy!**

**Luv,  
K**


	3. A Mare of the Night

**New Moon Bride  
_A Mare of the Night_**

**_

* * *

_**

_Warmth surrounded her, a soft and comforting blanket. Sighing contently, she rolled over, further entangling herself in the sheets that wrapped themselves around her legs. Her nose brushed across something velvety and she smiled at the sensation as she gently laid her head down to continue sleeping._

_That is, she would be able to sleep if there wasn't something tickling the tips of her toes._

_Grumbling, Kaoru moved her leg, avoiding the strange sensation. It worked at first, but then there felt as if someone was running feathers up against the back of her exposed calve. She threw back the covers, eyes droopy from sleep. They widened when she spotted what appeared to be a small dog at her feet, sleeping soundly. Kaoru watched for a moment as it began to twitch, caught up in its dream, its tail brushing once again against her bare feet._

_Misao never told her that she had a puppy. Laughing, she stretched over her legs to put a hand on the small, silver colored back of the animal. "Having a nightmare, little guy?" She asked with humor lightening her eyes._

_Two, triangular ears tipped with a griseous color, shot up from the top of the startled dog's head. It turned, large gold eyes landing on the amused Kaoru who couldn't hold back the small snort of laughter at its bewildered expression._

_Her laughter died down whenever she finally realized something very crucial about the little creature. It wasn't a dog, but a fairly small fox._

_"Please don't tell me that Misao has taken an interest in exotic animals…" Kaoru rubbed her eyes, trying to dispel the grogginess that hung over her still._

_The fox stood up, wobbling a bit before righting itself. Its tail was considerably fuller than with the rest of its body. It didn't take Kaoru long to conclude that it was relatively young to be away from its parents. Frowning, she looked around the room for Misao, or perhaps even a couple of angry older foxes looking for their missing kit. That is when Kaoru noticed one other important thing. She had no clue where she was._

_The room wasn't large, only able to accommodate the bed Kaoru and the fox were on along with a small chest situated at the end of it. Kaoru couldn't distinguish the color of the walls because they seemed to be flickering between a light blue and a pearly white. If there actually had been one in the room, Kaoru would have assumed it was the play of light coming in from a window. Another very important thing missing from the room was a door. Oddly enough, the fact that the walls were changing color and she had no plausible way of leaving didn't bother Kaoru at all._

_"What a cool dream."_

_A small yip at her feet brought Kaoru's attention back to the small kit. She watched as it leapt down from the bed and walked over to a full length mirror across from the foot of the bed. It let out another yip before disappearing into the mirror._

_"Woah! Wait!" she called out, feeling a bit panicked at being left alone._

_The little fox's head popped out from the mirror at the sound of her distressed call. It yipped again, sounding almost impatient before ducking back into the mirror._

_Kaoru stared at the mirror in awe, setting her feet down on the cool ground and rising from the bed. "Am I supposed to follow you?" she asked, hesitating._

_Her response was a distant yip that came from within the mirror._

_Without needing more prompting, Kaoru came up to the mirror and put her hand against the glass. With a little force, her hand sunk into the glass, disappearing beyond her view. "That's different," she grinned before closing her eyes, sucking in a breath, and taking a full step inside the mirror. When she opened her eyes, her breath left her._

_She stood in a grand hallway that seemed to stretch for miles in both directions. The walls were crafted out of a rich, red wood and were generally left empty except for the occasional mirror. At her feet, the small fox brushed up against her legs, appearing to be happy she followed him._

_A surprised laugh escaped past her lips. "Where to now?" she asked the kit, fully content to let him lead her anywhere in this dream._

_It let out a small mewl and swiftly took off down the hallway to the right, tail held high in the air. Kaoru followed, looking into the mirrors she passed out of curiosity. Who would ever own so many? Lost in her train of thought, she did not notice the kit had stopped before a particularly grand mirror until she very nearly tripped over him._

_Kaoru grinned sheepishly down at the fox that cast a sharp look at her. "Sorry," she apologized._

_Appeased, the fox lifted its head and trotted through the mirror, clearly expecting for her to follow. Kaoru found herself pausing before chasing after the fox, staring at her reflection. She noted with a mild amount of interest that her hair was tucked into the braid she normally put it in before going to bed. Strangely enough, she was also in the pajamas she remembered dressing into before falling asleep at Misao's._

_"That's odd." Kaoru whispered before fearlessly stepping into the mirror._

_For the second time in her dream, Kaoru was awed by the splendor of the room she entered. It was quite large and was made out of the same wood she noted in the hallway. The main difference between this room and the hallway, however, was the presence of people. Each wall was lined with men, women, and children all seated formally with their heads bowed respectfully._

_Kaoru fidgeted, feeling out of place. They were all dressed in fine clothing and were adorned with various pieces of jewelry and other fineries. Their mannerisms were overly formal and Kaoru felt she must interrupted some sort of ceremony. As quietly as possible, she took a single step back, hoping to pass through the mirror unnoticed. As it turned out, she was not that lucky._

_The same kit that had led her here let out a cheerful yip and all at once, the eyes of every stranger were fixed on her._

_Kaoru felt her face heat up in embarrassment. "I am so sorry! I was just leaving. I did not mean to bother you," she bowed deeply in apology, inching toward the mirror that was directly behind her._

_A rich voice stopped her in her tracks. "Nonsense. We were awaiting your arrival."_

_The crowd in the room let out a murmur of agreement. When Kaoru lifted her head, she noticed that many of them were smiling warmly at her, welcoming her silently with their friendly gaze. More at ease, she straightened her back, looking past the people along the walls to the person who had first spoke._

_He was a giant of a man, his shoulders seeming to stretch on forever. He was adorned in traditional Japanese garb that all but shouted his importance. His eyes were extremely dark, almost black, as was his hair. Overall, he would have come across as a very intimidating individual if he was not wearing such a cocky smirk on his face that Kaoru felt herself copying._

_"My, my," he laughed thunderously, "My son is indeed lucky."_

_"How so, my Lord?" Kaoru asked, not sure how else to address the individual before her._

_He threw back his head and let out another bout of loud laughter. "No need for such formalities, my child!" he grinned. "Come, come! Why are you all the way over there? Come and take a seat!" he waved at her, stepping to the side to reveal an empty, plush chair._

_Kaoru found herself walking toward the man, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips. As she approached the chair, which was more like a throne than anything else, she noted that the people she passed would almost reverently bow their heads. Now perplexed, she stopped short._

_"Why am I here?" she asked, boldly looking the enormous man straight in the eye. Suspicion began to creep up her spine, making her stand tall, head held high._

_"To marry me, of course."_

_The men, women, and children of the room let out a small round or murmurs before reluctantly bowing their heads again, this time for the new speaker. Kaoru spun on her heels, almost smacking into the individual that had somehow snuck up behind her, unnoticed. She stumbled backwards, putting more space between herself and the stranger._

_He was not very tall, but was just as impressive as the colossal man now at Kaoru's back. Kaoru noted with a small amount of surprise, that he had shockingly red hair tied back into a long ponytail reaching past the middle of his back. Golden eyes remained steady on her figure._

_Kaoru let out a nervous laugh. "I think you are mistaking me for someone else," she offered, praying that was the case._

_The man's lips curved into a devilishly handsome smile. "I don't believe I am."_

_Beginning to feel irritated, Kaoru stomped her foot. "Yes, you are," she insisted stubbornly. "I'm not getting married to you, even if you _are_ handsome and this is just a dream" Her blue eyes leveled him with a scornful look._

_The man's smile turned into a full out grin. "Who ever said this was a dream?" he asked._

(-)

Kaoru jerked awake, sitting up so quickly from her makeshift bed on the ground that she felt dizzy afterward. A cold sweat lined her brow and her breath was coming in uneven shudders. Beside her, Misao remained contently asleep, a goofy smile plastered on her face.

Sighing, the troubled woman got up and went to the bathroom, splashing some water onto her face. "That was one wild dream," she whispered to herself. "It felt so real…"

* * *

**Author's Note (7/25/10): This chapter is a bit shorter than I would have liked it to be, but I thought here was as good a spot as any to stop. Please feel free to leave me a review. I love hearing feedback on my stories!**

**Luv, **

**K**


End file.
